The exploding pickup truck market has left compact trucks in its wake as American light-truck buyers desire bigger trucks with more power, load capacity, comfort and options.
The compact light-truck segment, exploited so successfully by Japanese manufacturers, reached its peak in the '70s and has been dropping steadily since. Volkswagen, Isuzu and
Mitsubishi (also sold as captive imports called Dodge Rams) came into the market late and have largely disappeared. Mazda, through its partnership with Ford has moved up to marketing only midsize trucks built for the U.S. market.
Thus, the only two forces left in the compact pickup truck market are Toyota and Nissan. And Toyota, with its midsize cum full-size T100 appears to be moving in the direction of bigger pickups.
Although sales are declining, compact pickups still account for a sizable-enough portion of the market to compel us to review at least one offering. We chose Nissan because it remains firmly in the segment. We also chose to make price a criterion, hence our selection of the 4x2 XE Regular Cab. One step above the base truck offering, the XE includes some popular equipment while maintaining a relatively low price. Our truck had an MSRP of $11,819, including a $380 destination charge. Not bad considering it had options such as air conditioning, power steering, a premium sound system and a convenience package including power mirrors and chrome package with special graphics.
Putting the
Nissan 4x2 XE Regular Cab pickup's smaller size aside, the thing that's most visually apparent is that this truck appears to be past its prime when it comes to styling. Sure, a few refinements have been made to the boxy, slab-sided compact pickup truck format of the '70s, but wheel arch moldings and fender bulges do not make a complete, contemporary statement.
It also looks a little outdated when you consider what's happening in the fashionable midsize segment with Ford Ranger, Chevrolet S-Series and Mazda Bs. This is not to say our test truck was an ugly duckling. Bright red with gold graphics as part of the chrome package made it look good.
It also had all the pickup truck standards-removable tailgate, double-wall box construction, cargo tie-downs and the like. The XE trim package adds sliding rear window, dual outside mirrors, rear bumper and chrome wheel trim rings. We have trouble with the fact that when you buy a base truck you get one driver-side mirror and no rear bumper, but this appears to be a common industry practice on low-price models.
One complaint we have with this and many other compact pickups is that there is no meaningful bodyside protection against parking lot nicks and scrapes. A small molding runs too high along the body to do any good. Fit-and-finish meets Japanese standards, though, which is to say it is excellent.
